McGowan v. Maryland

McGowan v. Maryland
Argued December 8, 1960
Decided May 29, 1961
Full case nameMargaret M. McGowan, et al. v. State of Maryland
Citations366 U.S. 420 (more)
81 S. Ct. 1101; 6 L. Ed. 2d 393; 1961 U.S. LEXIS 2008
Case history
PriorConviction upheld, McGowan v. State, 220 Md. 117, 151 A.2d 156 (1959); probable jurisdiction noted, 362 U.S. 959 (1960).
Holding
Laws proscribing or limiting Sunday trading are not necessarily unconstitutional.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Earl Warren
Associate Justices
Hugo Black · Felix Frankfurter
William O. Douglas · Tom C. Clark
John M. Harlan II · William J. Brennan Jr.
Charles E. Whittaker · Potter Stewart
Case opinions
MajorityWarren, joined by Black, Clark, Brennan, Whittaker, Stewart
ConcurrenceFrankfurter, joined by Harlan
DissentDouglas
Laws applied
Md. Ann. Code, Art. 27, § 521; 1st and 14th Amendments

McGowan v. Maryland, 366 U.S. 420 (1961), was a United States Supreme Court case that affirmed the Maryland State Supreme Court's decision that the state's Sunday closing laws did not have a religious purpose to aid religion and that the secular purpose of the legislation to set aside a day of rest and recreation did not violate the Establishment Clause.